This valuable service is being provided by The Valley Hospital Sports Institute for local youth sports participants. Football, girls and boys soccer, and lacrosse are contact sports with the highest risk of head injury - including concussions.

ImPACT (Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is an innovative computerized evaluation system that assesses the effects and severity of a concussion and helps determine when it is safe for an athlete to return to contact sports following a concussion.

The new Biodex BioSway Balance testing unit is now available and provides for a psycho-motor assessment of concussion injuries. This test takes about 5 minutes and the baseline information stored, will be readily available for comparison to assess the extent of a concussion and the athlete’s readiness to return to activity safely.

Baseline testing is suitable for athletes ages 10 and older. Testing includes a battery of computerized neurocognitive evaluations, including measures of verbal and visual memory, attention span, brain processing speed, and reaction time and balance. If an athlete experiences a concussion, he or she is re-tested and the baseline data is compared to the post-concussion data to monitor recovery and to help determine when it is safe for the player to return to active sports.